Severe Hunger Situation in Northern kenya

ACT Nairobi Forum (ANF) has taken an immediate response to consider the famine concerns raised by Churches. The Churches particularly, requested for professional assessment of the situation, to help them consolidate a co-ordinated appeal that would cover West Pokot and Turkana districts. ANF has mandated NCA to be the lead Agency in this Appeal while the grassroots churches will take lead as implementing partners. With close co-ordination, ANF commissioned a consultant to evaluate the drought situation, who carried out a Rapid Appraisal exercise, covering West Pokot and Turkana districts between 11^th to 22^nd November 2002. The appraisal results were as follows:

West Pokot

1. This season’s rainfall amounts and distribution was the worst ever experienced in the District since 1984. The amount received was neither adequate to neither sustain planted food crops nor support the regeneration of pasture and browse for livestock. This has led to a near total crop failure with mixed farming zones realising less than 10% food harvest.
2. During this year’s harvest season (which normally starts from September to October) the main food producing zones in the District registered a 97% drop from the normal maize production levels
3. Further, apart from the poor rains this year, there was a decrease in acreage of arable land under maize crop occasioned by poor prices and delayed payment of delivered produce to the National Cereal and Produce Board (NCPD) by farmers last year. This affected the farmers ability to timely procure and utilise, the necessary farming inputs.
4. With W/Pokot experiencing only one planting season per annum, failure of the rains implies food shortages will continue unless rains surfaces.
5. Hundreds of the pastoralists and Agro pastorlists have relocated their livestock’s to neighbouring Trans-Nzoia district and Uganda. Hence complicating further the household food security of the remaining family members i.e. children, women and the elderly.

Turkana

1. Pasture availability within most dry season grazing areas is worse than normal for the season with deterioration forage for livestock. Most surface water sources are drying up forcing pastoralist communities to migrate.
2. There is an increased number of animals offered for sale and prices have started to drop, with average sale prices of goats and sheep dropping from $US 12 during Sept to $US 9 in Oct. 2002. This downward prize trend has partly been triggered by increased prices of cereals, indicative of the significant drop in pastoralist purchasing power.
3. Community security and peace is also threatened as large herds of livestock moving from East Baringo through West Pokot to traditional dry season grazing areas in South Turkana is frequently creating tension and conflict along the Turkana/West Pokot borders.
4. A rapid rise in malnutrition levels in the 3 divisions of (Lokori, Kakuma and Lokitaung) is particularly severe among households that had not fully recovered from the effects of the previous droughts.

Both the situations in West Pokot and Turkana warrants urgent humanitarian intervention. The rapid assessment has confirmed the concerns of the looming famine disaster indicated by the churches.

Target population

• In West Pokot, 160,914, people, (47%) are considered to be extremely food insecure for at least the next 3 months. This figure is predicted to reach a maximum of 221,933 people (64%) between April – July 2003 and reduce to 120,686 people from August – October 2003 (35%) when the next harvest season in the District is expected.
• In Turkana and surrounding areas, a total of over 69,000 people are in dire need of Relief food while additional 13,000 children less than five years old will require supplementary feeding.
• Over all, the approximated target population for the entire appeal including children in areas, which will be targeted in the two districts, are 242,800. Population, which will require post recovery intervention, will be included in the Appeal.

Following this alert, an appeal will be submitted soon by the ACT Nairobi Forum to respond to the current crisis.